1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheelchair. More specifically the present invention relates to a wheelchair seat that prevents occupants from falling therefrom by providing a recessed and angled sitting area.
Wheelchairs are used as a walking replacement for those who are unable to walk or for those that find walking for an extended period of time to be a difficult task. A wheelchair provides a solution for those who are unable to walk, however, prolonged use of a wheelchair may become uncomfortable. The seat may comprise poor padding, may be stiff, or may orient the back in non-ergonomic positions. Moreover, the user may not be strong enough to lift themselves to exit the wheelchair without pain.
Users have designed wheelchairs with height adjustment mechanisms installed on the sitting area to solve the setbacks of traditional wheelchairs. These height adjusters are designed to keep a person within a wheelchair seat, and thereafter raise the seat when the user wishes to exit the wheelchair. A user may sit within a traditional wheelchair seat and actuate a lever or button that facilitates the raising or lowering of the seat.
While this solution might temporary alleviate the issue, a new problem arises in that the user is now too high on the wheelchair, which increases the chances that a person might fall forward and out of the wheelchair. Additionally, the height adjustment mechanisms often require the purchasing of a new wheelchair. These height adjustment mechanisms merely lift the user upward, and does not orient them in a position to easily exit the wheelchair. Additionally, these prior art devices may orient a user in a position that increases their chances of falling out of the wheelchair.
The present invention relates to a wheelchair including a height adjustable seating area, whereby the seating area reduces the likelihood that a user would fall from out of the chair. The device comprises a wheelchair that includes a recessed and angled sitting area. This functions to lower the center of gravity of the user, which prevents one from falling out of the chair; whereas systems that lack a recessed seating area are prone allowing falls. The device further includes a lever that is manually actuated to raise or lower the height of the sitting area for ease of entry or exit of the seating area.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to wheelchairs. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to wheelchairs including height adjustable seats. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.
Specifically, U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,624 to Jeun-Long teaches a wheelchair with a height-adjustable seat. The chair includes a telescoping cross members mounted behind the back of the wheelchair and four vertical guide rods with two horizontal supporting members to support the seat of the wheelchair that permit the eat to be height adjustable. The device of Jeun-Long includes a height adjustable chair, however the chair fails to provide a recessed area that is angled to reduce the chances that an occupant would fall from the chair.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,497 to Hutson discloses a wheelchair including a height adjustable seat, wherein the wheelchair includes a substantially flat seat and a plurality of belt means adapted to support the seat. The wheelchair further includes a pair of horizontally spaced seat support bars that are supported in position by a pair of cross-bars. A plurality of hooks are adapted to be slidably received on the belt means and are adapted to releasably engage the seat support bars and support the seat in the desired vertical position. However, while the wheelchair of Hutson includes a height adjustable wheelchair seat, the seat fails to provide a sitting area that is adapted to reduce the odds that an occupant might fall from the chair.
Another device is U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,650 to Visone. Visone describes a height adjustable wheelchair that enables a user to move easily into and out of the wheelchair. The wheelchair includes a wheel assembly upon which a frame is mounted. A seat member is mounted to the frame and is adapted to be raised and lowered by a frame-mounted lift assembly. Although the wheelchair device of Visone includes an adjustable component, it fails to offer an angled and recessed siting area that reduces the chances that an occupant might fall out of the sitting section of the wheelchair.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,467,785 to Toppses teaches an adjustable seat wheelchair, wherein the seat can be raised and lowered between a normal height and the ground level for enabling a person to gain access to the seat from a ground level. Additionally, the seat can be raised to above normal levels for assisting a user in reaching higher placed objects. While Toppses discloses a wheelchair that is capable of raising and lowering a user, it differs from the present invention in that it fails to provide a mechanism that encourages a posture that reduces the chances of a user falling off of the wheelchair.
Finally, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0011229 to Bell teaches a wheelchair having a height adjustable seat. The wheelchair seat and back are connected together, and include a base with a connector for connecting the base to the frame of the wheelchair. An elevator is operably connected to the base and the seat for adjusting the height of the seat. The adjustable wheelchair seat of Bell, although similar in nature and relevant to the present invention, fails to teach a recessed and angled seat that encourages a posture that reduces the chances that a user would fall out of the wheelchair.
The present invention relates to a novel wheelchair having a height adjustable sitting area that increases comfort and reduces the likelihood that a person might fall from out of the chair. The device accomplishes this task by having a sitting area that is both recessed and angled, which prevents one from falling out of the chair. The wheelchair device comprises a wheelchair frame, a mesh cushion, and a lever; whereby the lever comprises a flat base with a curved upper portion and a handle section. In use, the lever is manually actuated to raise or lower the height of the sitting area for ease of entry or exit of the seating area. When the handle is actuated forward, the base comes into contact with the seat cushion and raises the seat to the desired exiting level.
In view of the drawbacks of the prior art devices, it is shown that the prior art has several known setbacks and that the present invention is substantially divergent in design elements from the prior art and subsequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing height adjustable wheelchairs. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.